So, it turns out that the next day was indeed brutal. Paulina had escorted me back to the beach room and introduced me to Jeremy. She hadn't even got to introduce me to his young assistant before he scoffed and spoke his first words to me.

"You need to lose ten pounds. Maybe fifteen."

His assistant's eyes flew open in shock, while I just laughed at him. I may have been insecure with Lylah in terms of our relationship, but I had no insecurities at all about my body. I loved my body, and Tia had hired me in part because of it, so there was no fucking way I was listening to that shit. I was over controlling males after the whole Max episode.

"Fuck. No." I replied in an even voice.

"Excuse me?" he snarled.

"I'm not losing any weight. My body is in exactly the shape I want it. If you can't deal with that, then I'll work with someone else," I told him, my voice getting higher.

"Get out!" he bellowed. "I'm not dealing with this shit from a nobody like you!"

"Fine, I'm out of here! Learn some fucking manners asshole!" I yelled right back at him, then turned and strode off towards the front door and my car.

I'd made it maybe halfway across the room when I heard Tia. "What is going on out here?"

I paused to turn around, more than ready to head back out, just in time to hear Jeremy complaining. "The new girl isn't taking my direction!"

Paulina just snorted. "She isn't even ready for a shot yet. Telling her to lose weight has nothing to do with direction and is just rude."

"It's my job to get the best out of these models!" he countered.

"Giving me shit about my body and pissing me off and not even wanting to work with you isn't getting the most out of me, it's getting nothing out of me!" I yelled back at him. "I love my body, and I'm not changing it for you or any other body shamer, so fuck right hell off if you think that is a requirement for me working with you!"

"Hey! Hold on! Let's all settle down!" Tia raised her voice into angry mom mode, and I snapped my teeth together in annoyance. I really wanted to slap this fucker right across the face. "Trish, why don't you get changed. Jeremy, just take the pictures and tone down the attitude. Can we please do that?"

I hung my head, trying to bite back the things I wanted to say, and just nodded. "I'll go get changed," I finally forced out.

"You're in changing room three," Paulina told me as I headed past her towards the rest of the building.

"Thanks." I honestly couldn't look at anyone right now, I felt like I'd lash out. I knew it wasn't fair, or nice, but Jeremy got right under my skin like a fucking parasite.

I opened the door to changing room three and looked around. It was a perfect place to get ready. There was a bed in the corner where I could rest, an attached bathroom with a shower that I was told during yesterdays' tour was perfect if they wanted shots that looked like I'd just come from the ocean, a changing screen and a lighted vanity for doing makeup and hair.

And a coffee mug?

On the vanity was a travel mug filled with a delicious smelling coffee, and a little note leaning against it that said, "Welcome back!". There was no signature, so I didn't know who left it, but I was happy that someone had gone out of their way to do that. It was a sweet gesture, and quickly brightened my mood from the earlier encounter. I tasted the coffee and let out a moan at the hazelnut latte that was within it. How the hell did they know my favorite order?

I took a few more sips, and then looked at the array of swimsuit options that were hanging behind the dressing screen. I loved them all, but with Jeremy being an ass, I picked the sexiest one there just to prove a point about my body. It was a baby pink number with a thong bottom and tons of suggestive skin exposed. I was grateful that Amy wasn't there today, because this might be too revealing in front of her after the previous night.

Once I was changed, I checked myself out in the full body mirror, and smiled happily. The pink really set off my dark skin, and if I was in the mood to flirt, then I knew that this suit would help me do that. As for the pictures, if Jeremy wasn't an ass, then I knew I'd look good in them.

I threw on a robe, and then walked my ass back to the beach room where Jeremy waited with a cocked eyebrow, and his daughter with a soft smile. "Are we ready to do this?" I asked with my own cocked brow that put his to shame.

               "Get in the sand!" he demanded, getting his camera out.

Izzy flashed a smile and a mouthed apology as she got her own camera ready, and I knew right then that I'd be ignoring him and concentrating on her instead. I doubted I could smile for his camera since I was so angry at him, but she seemed sweet. I took my robe off, and draped it over a chair nearby, and then stepped into the sand. Jeremy seemed to be ignoring me, but Izzy's pale skin had gone scarlet, and I felt bad since I knew how young she was.

"Now, just pose. Don't just stand there, do something!" Jeremy barked, giving me no information.

With nothing to go on, I stuck my knee out, and cocked my hip, looking over at Izzy who nodded encouragingly while lifting her camera. Jeremy raised his as well, though he didn't look like he cared, so I stuck with my initial plan of concentrating on Izzy. She was standing behind Jeremy and to his left, and would occasionally give me hand signals, like a twirling figure to spin around which I would quickly follow. As long as I tuned her dad out, it was working out just fine.

That went on for several minutes of shooting, before Jeremy evidently got upset at me ignoring him. "Look at the camera, damnit!"

"I am!" I replied as I glanced just once at him.

"My camera, you bitch!" he snarled this time and I whirled on him, a snarl on my own face as I took two steps towards him before I stopped myself. This fucker wasn't worth it.

"Call me bitch one more time and you're going to eat that fucking camera." If I kept working with this guy, there was going to be blood spilled.

"Then stop acting like one! You look like a beached whale up there!"

I was out of the sand in a flash, grabbing the robe off the chair and wrapping it around me as I power walked to the changing room. I was done with his shit. When I got there, I slammed the door, and then locked it before flopping on the bed and letting the hot tears flow from my eyes. That asshole! Why did I need to be stuck with another guy like him in my life?

After a few minutes, I got up and changed back into my clothes, putting the swimsuit into the hamper before catching sight of the coffee mug and note again. I'd felt so good when I saw that, and now I felt as low as ever. It was a horrible feeling, and I just wanted it to go away.

I was about to leave when my phone buzzed, and I was surprised to see a text from an unknown number. "Don't quit! Please! Come back tomorrow to review the pictures!"

Honestly, I didn't want to come back at all if it meant seeing Jeremy again, but it would be nice to see if I could get the pictures. Worst case I could use them for a portfolio after I talked to Tia about ending the contract. I just typed a quick "OK" and left it at that. I was guessing it was Izzy, but I didn't see her when I walked back through the beach room and out the door, just waving at Paulina as I escaped to my car. I breathed a sigh of relief and then headed towards Amy's house. She'd predicted a shitty day with Jeremy, and damn was she right.

Amy lived in a nice apartment complex, and I hoped she wouldn't mind a lunch date, because I was starving and upset and could use the cheering up. I parked and then headed up to the second floor, following the directions to 22B. With a sigh, I knocked on the door, hearing a yell from the inside that I couldn't understand, but it let me know that she was awake. Or a roommate? Did she have one? I had no idea!

The door opened, revealing a half-naked Amy, who was wearing skimpy panties and an unbuttoned men's button down that she was holding closed. I guess I'd caught her just getting out of bed, and she looked pretty great, with her tanned skin visible through the unbuttoned shirt. "Hey Trish! You're here early, bad day with Jeremy?"

"Yeah, very. We never made it to the beach. I left as soon as he called me a whale." I gave her a weak smile, trying to keep the tears from my eyes.

"Oh, shit! That asshole! I'm sorry! Give me a sec to throw some clothes on and we'll get out of here!" Amy suggested kindly.

"Babe! Hurry up! You still owe me round two!" A stark naked redhead padded out of a hallway leading back into the apartment, then paused when she saw me. I guess I hadn't just woken up Amy after all! "Oh cool! Are you joining us?"

"No, I have a date!" Amy replied. "We'll have to pick it up later! I'll be right back!" she whirled and headed back past the redhead as though this were completely normal.

No. I'm not doing this today. I know we're really not even dating and all, but I'm not going on a lunch date with her after interrupting her sex with whoever the girl was. "You can go get your round two. Tell Amy I had to run," I told the redhead.

"Okay, thanks!" She was really too peppy. I had to admit she had nice tits though.

I closed the door and headed back to my car. I'd get food on my own. San Diego suddenly sucked.